Improvement in breech-loading ordnance



UNITED STATES PATENT Oiuucn.

CHARLES F. Larsen, or PHILADELPHIA, rennerLvAnIA.

IMPROVEMENT-IN BREECH-LOADING oRoNANcE.

Specification forming part of Lctterslatent No. 33,530, dated October 5&2, 1861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLnsF. LEIsEN, of

the city and county of Philadelphia, and StateV .ing is a full, c lear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the acconr.

panying'drawings, forming part of t-hisspeciflcation, in which- Figure -1l is a central longitudinal section of a cannon constructed according to my invenf tion. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view of the chambered breech. Fig. 4is a plan of the breechA and the ring and slide by which it is attached to the body of the gun.'

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures, "'My invention consists in a certain novel mode of applying a chambered breech in cornbination with the body of a cannon, whereby very great facility is afforded for loading.

To enable others to make and use my inventionl will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the body ofl the gunhaving formed upon it the trunnio'nsI e c. This bodyis bored right through, counterbore'd from .the rear much larger than'its bore, and has eut in its counterbore a female screwthread, a a, Figs. land 2, vportions of which, at equal distances apart, are removed by forming grooves 4b b, Fig. 2, in-the counterbore in a direction parallel with the axis and at equal distances apart. I prefer to make these grooves b b of such width that the portions of the thread left standing between them shall be of a width about equal to the said grooves. y

B is the breech, which, as well as the body A, may be of any metal commonly used for cannon. This breech is chambered for the reception of the powder and ball, has cut upon its exterior a screw-thread, d, to fit the screwthread a in the body, and has'the said thread removed by cutting grooves c c in a direction parallel with the axis of the breech, the said grooves corresponding in number with the grooves b b in t-he body A, and the width of the portions of the thread ff -left between the said grooves being equal to or rather less than the width of the grooves b b, so that they may pass freely through `the said grooves with a movement o f the breech parallel with the axis of the bore, such movement being preparatory to a slight turn-oh the breech to screw it up' tight against the front face, g, of the counterbore of the body A. A portion, l1, of the exterior of thebreech, in rear of its screw-thread, is made,l cylindrical, and in rear of this portion his a broad shoulder, i. On the rear portion of the breech are handles p p, by which rma.

-C is a stout ring, of wrought-iron or other metal, in which the portion h of the -breech fits to turn easily with t-he shoulder li, close against the back of said ring.

I j is a'pin inserted seeurclyin the breech, to conne it in the ring C. This pin j is received within the recess k in the .front of the ring C, that it may not prevent thesaidring from litting close up to the rear end of the body, and the length of `this recess, which limits the movement of the said pin j, is j ust sufficient to allow the breech toturn from the position in which the threads f f are yin grooves b, b to 'the position in which the breech is screwed up tight, and vice versa. The ring C is connected atl its bottom by a hinge-joint, q, with a slide, D, arranged below the body A, where it is fitted to slide, in a direction parallel with the bore, in-aixed guide, E, secured to t-he bottom yof the body, the said guide being fitted l with friction-rollers tl, to reduce the friction of the slide, andthe said slide being furnished with astop, m, to prevent it from being drawn farther out from the guide E than is necessaryA The guide isv cast with a protuberance, nl, uponwhich the elevating-screwF acts. I

The operationsof opening the breech, loading, and closing the breech again, are effected in the following manner: The breech is turned by taking hold of the handles p p, from the position showuin Fig. 2, to the position in fwhieh the screw-threads ff are opposite the grooves b b, and then drawn bodily backward out of the counterbore of the body, the' ring C and slide D coming back withl it and supporting it. and when withdrawn from the counterlchamber upward for the reception of the eartridge and thcfproicctilc,`ai'tcr which it is raised up again to a horizontal position and pushed forward againinto the counterbore and i turned to bring its threads into or between the threads f f and screw it up tightiy, x'vhcn the cannon is ready for 'ring, which is `'effected through the vent r in the breech.

I do not cla-imeither the screw-breech having portions of its threads cut away in the ymanner described,- or the attachment of 'a breech by a hinge to the slide; blit- What I claim as my invention, and desire to Secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the chambered breech constructed and fitted to thefbody of the gun,-

as described, the ring C,vand the slide D, when the whole are arranged to 'operate and to present the breech for loading in thelposition and JOHN EBERT, A. MLLER.. 

